


Tell Me the Truth

by crustycroissant



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien thinks Marinette likes Chat, Adrinette April, Akumatized Luka Couffaine, Alya Césaire Ships It, BIG OOF, End of school, F/M, Fluff, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm sorry i had to do it to him, Identity Reveal, Nino is an unwilling accomplice, Oblivious Adrien Agreste, Sleepovers, Truth or Dare, but like on accident, marinette is a mess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-31
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2019-12-29 22:03:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18302759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crustycroissant/pseuds/crustycroissant
Summary: The one in which Alya's tired of her ship not working out and invites her bffs to a end of school party.





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first fic, and I'm sorry if the updating is a bit choppy. I hope you enjoy! :)

Marinette let out an excited squeal. Final exams were over and summer vacation would finally be starting. She thought of all the things she could do without a teacher or  _Chloe_ breathing down her neck.

Suddenly her phone buzzed, alerting Marinette that somone had texted her.

"Oh, that must be Alya, she always organizes an end-of-the-year party at the beginning of summer break," she said to herself, reaching for the device in her bag.

 **Alya:** heyyyy girl! Wanna come to my party this year?? Your favorite model boy's gonna be there

 **Mari:** idk.. i have a few projects i need to work on..

 **Alya:** come on, ur just gonna stay home and ogle at pictures of adrien. Wouldn't it be nicer if you came and stared at mr. Model himself?

 **Mari:** wh-what? I do not  _ogle_ at Adrien, I simply appreciate his refined sense of style..and his handsome face

 **Alya:** haha ok, whatever you say, but you have to come bc I have a special surprise planned for you ;)

 **Mari:** ugh fine, when is it this year?

 **Alya:** next saturday, that's when Adrien is free for most of the day, but you knew that already didn't you

Sighing as she read the last text, Marinette turned off her phone and started working on an outfit that she was going to wear at the party. She had no idea what Alya's surprise was, but hoped that it wouldn't include Adrien. Afterall, Marinette didn't want to embarass herself infront Adrien again.

* * *

Day of the Party

Alya was sitting by the front door of her house scrolling through her Ladyblog, making sure there wasn't any hate or cyberbullying going on, when she saw Marinette walking towards her. Her eyes opened wide when she saw what her bff was wearing. Marinette had a black halter top with a giant, bright green paw print emblazoned on the front, and a pair of black jeans to match.

"Hey!" said Alya excitedly, giving the bluenette a hug, "You finally showed up! Everyone else is already here, so let's go inside and have some fun!"

Marinette didn't miss Alya's expression, "Who else did you invite?" she asked.

"Oh, you know... just you, Nino, and the model boy that I promised.." Alya smirked, and without waiting for her best friends complaints, she pushed Marinette into her living room and practically made her topple over said model boy.

Lucky, Marinette was able to catch herself, by holding on to Adrien's arm, before her disastrous luck could cause her or anyone else, any more harm.

"Are you alright, Marinette?" asked a concerned Adrien.

"Ye-yeah, you're looking so fine, I MEAN, I'm f-fine, Adrien," stuttered Marinette.

"What she meant was that she missed you  _soo_  much and was so happy to see you, that she practically fell into your arms," Alya corrected, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Well I'm glad to see you, too. Although... I saw you last week, since it's only been a week since school let out," mused Adrien, lost in thought.

Suddenly, Adrien's gaze went down from Mari's blushing face to the giant paw print on her top.

"Sooo, you're a Chat Noir fan?" asked Adrien, a devious grin on his face.

"Y-yeah, he's so cool and funny, and even though everyone overlooks him for Ladybug, he'll always be my favorite superhero," blabbered Marinette.

"Wow, you must really like him, Mari, to compliment him so. I thought that everyone liked Ladybug, but it's nice to know Chat has such cute fans, too."

Marinette, however, had mentally checked out of the conversation, she hadn't actually heard most of what Adrien'd said,   _M-mari? mARi? OH MY GOSH Adrien gave me a nickname! Does this mean we're friends? Even though I'm so awkward around him..._

Sighing, Alya dragged a frozen Marinette and beckoned Adrien to follow her to the thick, fluffy carpet in the living room, where their DJ friend was already sitting, scrolling through his phone. As Alya took a seat next to her boyfriend, Nino, Marinette recovered from Adrien's nickname, only to find her self mere inches away from her long time school crush.

"Thanks for coming over today, it was really boring this past week without you guys, or any blog worthy akuma attacks," said Alya.

"Yeah," said Adrien, "and Ladybug and Chat Noir had no trouble defeating that one painter akuma."

Nino looked up from his phone,"Of course you would know that, dude. You're like the biggest Ladybug fan in the world."

Adrien blushed and defended himself,"Wh-what's wrong with admiring one of the bravest and smartest superhe- no- people ever?"

"Nothinggg," laughed Nino.

Unknownst to either of the guys, Marientte blushed.

"Besides," Adrien continued,"What about Marinette's top and her love for Chat Noir?"

"Oh, I just appreciate how he's always saving Paris, that's all" Marinette quickly replied.

"Ahem," said Alya, "Why don't we do something fun, since this might be the only time Mr. Model will be free this summer?"

"Well, I don't know about that, but my father  _is_ pretty strict..." Adrien trailed off.

"Hey, why don't we play truth or dare?" asked Nino.

"Well, I've never played it before," said Adrien.

Surprisingly, Marinette spoke up, "C'mon, it's not that bad, Adrien. Besides, we'll teach you the rules."

"Mhmm," said Alya,"come on, Mari, let's go get a bottle first."

 Alya dragged Marinette to the kitchen with her, and the two immediately set about looking for an empty, glass bottle for the game.

Before long, Marinette found one, and handed it to Alya,"Here Alya, now let's head back to the guys."

Alya took the bottle and said,"Thanks, and just a heads up, by the end of today, the chances of you going home with a boyfriend is about 100%."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Marinette.

"Oh, you'll see," Alya winked, before heading back to the living room, with Marinette on her tail.

* * *

"Okay, so how exactly do we play this game," asked Adrien, after the girls had settled back in.

"So, basically, you spin the bottle," explained Alya," and you will ask whoever the bottle ends up pointing to 'truth or dare'. They will pick, and if it's truth, they have to answer honestly, and if they pick dare, they have to do whatever you dare them to. Got it?"

"Wait, what if we don't want to answer or do the truth or dare?" asked Marinette.

"Well, we can make it so that we each have a pass," said Nino.

"Yeah, but don't use it too early, because you only have one pass," warned Alya.

Marinette eyed the reporter warily, she knew that her best friends was going to ask her to reveal or do something weird to get her closer to Adrien.

"Okay," said Adrien," is it ok if I start then?"

Nino put down his phone, "Yeah man, go for it."

 _Please be Mari, please be Mari, please be Mari,_ chanted Alya as they watched Adrien spin the bottle, to begin their game. However, Alya's prayers were not answered as the the bottle came to a halting stop infront of Nino.


	2. The Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien wants to rid himself of his cinnamon roll status.

"So," asked Adrien, "Truth or dare, Nino?"

"Dare, duh," responded the DJ, "No offense, but there's no way you could think of something horrible to dare me, dude, you're just too pure and innocent."

"Pffft!" snickered Alya, "He's right, you're about as dangerous as a cinnamon roll!"

Marinette didn't join the couple in their playful jabs, because, after all, it would be a  _crime against humanity_ to do so to the young model. However, when Adrien glanced in her direction, he saw that the bluenette was hiding her face behind her hands, as if she could barely contain her laughter.

"Fine! That does it! Nino, I'm going to dare you to do the most embarassing thing ever!" Adrien declared, with a rather determined expression on his handsome features.

Alya winked at Nino. Little did the other two know, the young reporter had concocted a plan with her boyfriend the moment that summer vacation began to finally make her biggest (well... after LadyNoir) ship set sail. The DJ did not return his girlfriend's wink, but rather, rolled his eyes. While he did want to see his best friends happy, he didn't want to force them to be together with _another_ one of Alya's plans.  _Oh well,_ he sighed,  _let's just see what Adrien can even come up with, shall we?_

"So, do you have a dare?" asked Marinette.

"You bet," replied Adrien, and hoped that his secret reputation as Paris' biggest flirt had not failed him, "Nino, I dare you to kiss Alya and send a picture to someone in our class."

"Woah!" exclaimed Nino, "Not cool man!"

Alya cut in,"Yeah, just the kiss would've been fine, but to send a picture?"

"Wh-what? B-but we haven't done that before," stuttered Nino, whose face was rapidly reddening.

"Ahhhh!" Marinette, all but screamed, "My favorite ship!!"

"What do you mean, Mari," asked Adrien, a grin slowly forming on his face, "what about LadyNoir? Doesn't everyone ship the superheroes of Paris? Or... do you not ship them because you're secretly in love with Chat Noir?"

"What? How'd you get that idea?" Marinette surprised herself as she didn't stutter even the slightest bit when she responded to Adrien's questions.

Before Adrien could reply, Alya continued "Seems like Agreste knows his stuff, huh. So, Nino, figured out who were gonna bless with our photo yet?"

"Wouldn't it actually be better for Mari and I to take the photo and send it?" asked Adrien, trying and failing to control his laughter.

"Ugh fine, here's my phone," said Nino, reluctantly giving the device to his best friend.

Without warning, Alya suddenly took Nino's face in her hands, and slowly leaned in for a short, and sweet kiss.

"So, did you guys get the photo?" she asked looking back at the couple of idiots who'd fell into a giggling mess.

"Should we send it to, Max?" asked Adrien, wiggling his eyebrows, "maybe he can tell us what percent compatible these two really are."

"Pffft! Hahaha!" laughed the young seamstress, "Or Nath, who'd probably make the  _best_ Alyno fanart!"

"Hey, dudes! Not cool! Stop laughing so much and just send it already!" exclaimed a flustered Nino.

"Don't worry, babe," winked Alya, "There's more where that came from."

Her boyfriend mumbled, "Uhhh, I-i wasn't worried at all."

After a moment, the Marinette and Adrien’s giggling stopped, and they handed Nino’s phone back to him.

“So, who’d you guys send it to?” questioned Alya.

“Let me give you a hint,” Marienette winked, “It was to our favorite queen!”

“OH MY GOSH, please tell me you guys didn’t!” shouted the young blogger, “Quick! Nino, check who they sent it to!”

Nino fumbled to open the messages app on his phone and gasped when he saw who the most recent text was sent to.

“Ch-chloe?” he choked,”You guys sent a photo of Alya and I kissing to Chloe Bourgeois?!”

“It was Adrien’s idea!” Marinette pointed to the handsome boy next to her.

“Yeah”, the model replied, “don’t worry though, I’ve known her for forever, and I don’t think she’d do anything horrible with it.”

“Come on, Adrien, you can’t be serious! This is the girl that constantly harasses Marinette day in and day out and literally spreads gossip like wildfire!” yelled Alya.

“Calm down, Alya, it’s my turn now,” said Nino, as he reached for the bottle and spun it.

The bottle spun and spun in seemingly endless circles, but, before long, it finally stopped, right in front of Marinette.

Nino wasted no time and asked,”Truth or dare, Marinette?”

But before she could answer, Nino's phone beeped, and he picked it up to check who had texted him.

 **Chloe:** eww, why did u send me this? If u don't tell me i will send this to ur gf!

The DJ turned his phone screen to his best friend, "Dude, look what you have done!"

"Just ignore her, she'll forget about it sooner or later," said Marinette, "and, I guess I'll pick truth."

“Describe who you like and tell us why you like them,” said Nino carefully, while he turned his phone off.

“Who I like?” squeaked the bluenette, “As in who my crush is?”

“Mhmm, girl,” nodded Alya.

“Well… he has hair that shines like the sun, and gorgeous green eyes,” said Marinette, trying to be careful to not give too much away,” and I guess I like him mostly because he’s kind, thoughtful, and very considerate of others.”

“It sounds like a certain little lady has a crush on Chat Noir,” grinned Adrien.

“I-it’s not him…” Marinette trailed off, blushing when Adrien called her a “little lady”.

Both Alya and Nino mentally face palmed. How on earth, could this boy be so dense?!

“Are you sure?” prodded Adrien, “Weren’t you gushing about how paw-some he was earlier?”

 _Hmmm,_ he thought, _although her words did sound suspiciously similar to that one letter that I’d received on Valentine’s Day, the one that somehow answered the letter that I’d threw in the trash. But, I was so sure that that was from LadyBug! Maybe… Marinette is LadyBug! But, how could that be? I really don’t think, shy, sweet Marinette would be the type to swing on buildings on a magical yo-yo and nonchalantly battle supervillains every other day. But, she definitely could pull off the look..._

Adrien’s face reddened at that last thought. _No! You mustn’t think of your friend like that!_ He reprimanded himself.

Though subtle, Adrien’s tinted cheeks were not missed by Alya’s well trained eyes.  _Why's he getting so flustered?_ she wondered,  _could it be that he's_ finally _realised her true feelings?_

" _Paw_ -some? Dude, I didn't know that you liked puns?" questioned Nino.

"Where, errr, I don't really," Adrein replied immediately, "I was just trying to imitate Chat Noir, that's all."

 _Crap, this is bad, this is bad, I can't have them find out about my secret identity,_ thought the young model.

Marinette also became slightly suspcious of Adrien's actions, however she shook it off because howcould the  _pure and innocent_ Adrien Agreste be her flirty little kitty?

The young seamstress took the bottle in her hand, and gave it a deft spin. The bottle spun quickly a few times, and then finally landed on Marinette again.

"Argh," she said defeatedly, "of course my luck just has to be this bad."

Adrien put a hand on her knee, and smiled at the bluenette, "That's all right Mari, it's just a game, just spin again."

Hearing this, Marinette smiled shyly at Adrien. However, before she could spin the bottle again, Alya's phone beeped and they heard a shriek from outside the house.

"Could that a be an akuma?" wondered Nino.

Alya's eyes grew as large as saucers, "Finally! This might be a blog worthy akuma to post on the LadyBlog!"


	3. The Akuma

Marinette's eyes widened,  _there's only been one akuma this whole week, but the moment I have plans with friends, Hawkmoth decides to send us a little surprise._

"Sorry guys," said Alya as she got up with her phone in hand, ready to have a live boardcast of the akuma, "but I think the game will have to wait. I need to get this latest scoop for Paris, and maybe even an interview with Ladybug!"

And without another word, the reporter dashed out her front door. Nino, glanced hesitantly back at his two other friends before making a decision and following his girlfriend out the door.

"Uh-uhm, I'm going to go, too," said Marinette, as she quickly walked out, too.

Adrien didn't follow her, as he needed to transform in privacy to keep his secret identity. However, that didn't stop him from calling out cheekily, "I'm sure Chat Noir wouldn't mind meeting his _biggest_ fan!"

Marinette rolled her eyes and called back, "I'm sure Ladybug wouldn't mind meeting hers either!"

Adrien's face flushed to a color comparable to that of Ladybug's suit. However, before he could defend his merch collection (which he hoped Marinette didn't know about), the bluenette had already left.

After he made sure everyone had left, Adrien shouted, "Plagg!"

"Ughhhh," the tiny kwami appeared out of nowhere and groaned, "what is it this time, kid? It better be cheese."

"No time for your gluttony! Claws out!" replied the blond superhero.

<insert very flashy and cool transformation montage here>

Right outside of Alya's abode, Marinette had just transformed into Ladybug and was swinging her way to the mysterious figure that was levitating above the Ladybug and Chat Noir statue in the park. As she got closer, Ladybug could see that the figure seemed to be a boy whose hands were radiating a strange blue energy.

"Hahaha," the akuma cried, "Now all of Paris shall be silenced! Only the melodies of music can reveal how we truly feel!"

Before Ladybug could confront him, the akuma blasted his blue energy at some civilians. As far as Ladybug could see, nothing had changed, but when one of the victims opened their mouth to speak, the only sound tht came out was the high pitched wail of a violin.

"Hey!" shouted a voice from close behind her, "is this the _treble_ -maker I've heard about, Bugaboo?"

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug ignored her partner's flirting, "Thank goodness you're here! This akuma is turning everyone's voice into an instrument! And I think the akuma's got to be something, like a bracelet, on his hands!"

"Ok, so I'll distract him, and you'll go for his hands?" asked Chat, used to their style of attack.

Ladybug nodded, and without another word, Chat Noir launched himself off of the building that they were both standing on and yelled, "Hey, Music Man! I'm over here!"

"Ahh! Perfect!" Hawkmoth said inside the akuma's mind, "Melodymaster, take Chat Noir's miraculous if you want to keep on silencing the citizens of Paris! Don't forget, it's the ring!"

"Understood, Hawkmoth," the akuma replied, turning his menacing gaze back onto Chat Noir, as he aimed and shot at the feline superhero with his blue energy.

"Missed me, missed me again!" yelled Chat Noir as he extended his baton to block the blasts of energy.

While Chat Noir distracted the akuma, Ladybug threw her yo-yo at the statue of her and her partner in crime and pulled herself close to the fight. But, suddenly, the akuma turned around, and Ladybug gasped when she saw who it was.

"Lu-luka?" whispered Ladybug.

"No, I am not Luka," yelled the akuma as he began pursuing the spotted hero with his villianous powers, "I am the Melodymaster!"

Seeing Ladybug's sudden hesitation, the Melodymaster aimed a burst of energy straight at her chest. Ladybug was too slow and could not avoid the attack. However, at the last second, Chat Noir raced between his love and the energy, and took the shot that was meant for his Lady. He looked back at Ladybug and the beautiful notes of a piano sprang forth from his voicebox.

"Hahaha! What a fool!" yelled the akumatized Luka as he reached for Chat Noir's ring. In his head, the akuma could feel Hawkmoth's grin widening at the thought of finally possessing his foes' miraculouses. But, before Luka could reach the ring, Ladybug threw her yo-yo at a close by building, zipped past Luka's outstretched hand, and landed gracefully on the roof, with her feline partner in tow. Immediately, Ladybug threw her yo-yo up in the air and shouted, "Lucky Charm!"

After a spectacular flourish of ladybugs, a black and red oven mitt landed in her hands.

"An oven mitt? What am I supposed to do with this?" wondered Ladybug.

She glanced around, and her vision picked up Chat Noir, the oven mitt, and one of Luka's glowing, blue hands.  _That must be where the akuma is,_ thought Ladybug.

"Kitty, can you go and distract Luk- I mean the akuma, just one more time?" asked Ladybug.

Chat Noir opened his mouth and started to respond to Ladybug's question, but gave up after only a little upbeat tune escaped. Defeated, he simply gave Ladybug a little salute before leaping back into action.

Chat leapt back at the akuma, raised his extended baton and prepared to strike. The akumatized Luka immediately turned around and fired a few bursts of energy at Chat Noir. However, since the superhero had already been hit before, he didn't get affected by this new stream of attacks. Chat simply stuck his tongue out at Luka and batted at him with his baton.

Taking advantage of this new distraction, Ladybug yo-yoed herself back to the statue in the park, and leapt at the scrambling pair. The spotted hero wasted no time in yanking Luka's glowing hand towards her, putting the oven mitt on it, and tugging off the bracelet that had the telltale signs of containing an akuma. She tossed it to her partner who let go of the akumatized boy in his grip, caught the accessory, and swiftly cut it apart with a claw.

After a moment, a black butterfly fluttered out of the broken bracelet. Ladybug pressed a button on her yo-yo and swung it at the akuma. Once the yo-yo captured and purified the akuma, she released it and waved at the little white butterfly.

Ladybug turned around and took the oven mitt off of Luka's hand and threw it into the sky, while shouting, "Miraculous Ladybug!"

All the damage that Melodymaster had caused immediately disappeared without a trace, and the people who had been victims of the akuma's beams regained their voices, including Chat Noir.

"Pound it!" the superhero duo shouted while they gave each other their customary fist bump.

A confused Luka looked up and asked, "Ladybug? Chat Noir? What happened?"

"Oh, you just got akumatized by Hawkmoth," Ladybug replied as she went over and put a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder, "Lu- I mean, are you feeling alright?"

"Ye-yeah, thanks Ladybug," said Luka quietly.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Ladybug looked at her earrings and saw that she only had two spots left.  _Oh no! I can't stay for long, I need to go before they find out my secret identity,_ thought Ladybug.

"Uh oh, I gotta go, see you later, Kitty," said Ladybug.

"Are you sure, M'lady? Do you really not want us to know each others' secret identities?" asked Chat Noir.

Ladybug groaned, "For the last time, no Chat, our true identities must remain secret to protect us."

"Suuuuure," grinned Chat, "You're probably just worried that you wouldn't be able to help but to fall head over heels in love with me, if you knew who I really am."

Ladybug didn't respond to his childish remark and just rolled her eyes and swung away on her magical yo-yo.

Chat Noir started walking away and turned back to Luka and said, "I have to go, too. Hope you can feel better man."

As Ladybug landed in an empty alley, she detransformed and took out a cookie from her purse for the little red kwami in front of her, "Here Tikki, you must be hungry."

"Thank you, Marinette!" chirped Tikki.

Suddenly, the pair head a noise coming from nearby.

"Quick! Tikki, hide in my purse!" whispered Marinette as she took a few tentative steps to see who was there.

"Well, if it isn't my number one fan!" cried a familiar voice, "A little birdy told me that you were  _dying_ to see me!"

Marinette widened her eyes, "Ch-chat? What do you mean number one fan?"

"The one and only, and I'm talking about the giant, green paw print you're sporting on your shirt," the feline superhero purred.

"What are you doing here?" asked Marinette as she hurriedly crossed her arms to cover up the offensive graphic, "Aren't you tired after defeating that akuma?"

"Oh I'm just visiting my  _purr_ -incess," Chat Noir smirked at this.

"Silly Chat," replied Marinette, unaffected by Chat's flirting, "Do you flirt with every girl you see?"

Chat gasped dramatically, "Is this  _jealousy_ I sense, purriness?"

"N-no, of course not!" retorted Marinette.

"Don't worry, you're the only one, I promise," winked Chat.

Suddenly, Marinette's phone buzzed, and she took the device out to see who it was from, "Sorry, but that was Alya, and I have to go now. Bye Chat!"

"Wait, let me walk you back, purrincess!" called Chat Noir as Marinette turned to leave.

"Uh, sure, if you don't mind," answered Marinette.

Chat took a few long strides behind the bluenette, "Are you kitten me? How could I mind when it's practically my duty to escort pretty purrincesses?"

Marinette blushed and walked a bit slower so that Chat Noir could catch up. The pair chatted animatedly as they walked to Alya's house. Unbeknownst to Marinette, Chat Noir was heading towards the young reporter's house anyways.

"Well, this is me," said Marinette when they reached Alya's front door.

Chat Noir opened his mouth to say something, but before any words came out, the front door opened to reveal a wide eyed Alya.

"Chat Noir?" asked Alya, bewildered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg I just found out that Luka is actually gonna be akumatized in Silencer!


	4. The Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya blabs and Adrien makes a mistake.

"That's me!" replied the feline, "It feels nice to be recognized by so many people in one day!"

Alya teased, "Soooo, Marinette. I guess Adrien wasn't that far off when he said that you had a thing for Chat Noir."

"Ugh, why does everyone think that I'm in love with Chat Noir?" asked a frustrated Marinette.

"Yeah, yeah, you know that I'm just teasing you. But, between the three of us, the one Marinette truly likes is actually the most popular model in all of Paris," laughed Alya as she turned towards Chat Noir.

"ALYA!" cried the bluenette, "Why did you have to expose me like that?!"

"Sorry, Mari, but I figured that Chat should know. You don't want to lead Paris' beloved superhero on, do you?" replied Alya.

 _Leading Chat Noir on? I wouldn't_ dream  _of it,_ thought Marinette.

"M-most popular model? Do you mean Adr-adrien Agreste?" stammered Chat Noir.

Alya confirmed, "Yes, precisely."

 _So Marinette actually does like me! But not the me that I thought, she likes the other me. Wait, this is just getting way too confusing,_ thought Chat Noir.  _Does she only like Adrien because of his, no, my looks and wealth? That doesn't sound like her, I don't think that she would be that type of person. Hmmm, maybe I should ask her why she likes me?_

"Awww, I'm hurt, purrincess," Chat Noir put a hand on his heart and pretended to swoon in disbelief, "It seems that I have a competitor for your affections! What charming and prince-like qualities does this Adrien Agreste fellow possess that could possbily make him worthy of you, purrincess?"

At this little display, Marinette could not help herself but to let out a cute little giggle, "Oh, stop it, Chat. I don't know about prince-like, but he's certainly more than worthy of me. In fact, I think I'm unworthy of him!"

"That certainly can not be, purrincess!" cried Chat Noir dramatically.

"Ugh," interrupted Alya, "No offense, but I think I'm going to be sick if you keep up with these dramatic airs. You should've been at my party earlier, Chat. If you were there then, you would've heard Marinette gush all about how her Prince Charming was so kind, thoughtful, and considerate of others. Not to mention, she seems to kind of have a thing for handsome blondes with 'gorgeous green eyes'. Hey, come to think of it, why don't you come join my party? It'll be fun, I'm sure, and maybe you can even win Marinette's 'affections'!"

Marinette glowered at her best friend.

"Hey, don't hate on me, Mari, you know it's true," said Alya.

 _Wait, so Marinette was talking about me? How can I be so thick headed and not noticed that sweet and endearing Marinette has been crushing on me? Does this mean that her stuttering and shyness around me was also because she liked me? Come to think of it, she hangs out and talks to other guys like Nino, Nathaniel, and even Chat Noir without any problems,_ thought Chat Noir.

"Sorry, Alya, though your offer is tempting, I have to leave before my miraculous times out and you lovely ladies find out my secret identity! Maybe I can come over and listen to stories about Marinette some other time!" said Chat Noir as he turned around and prepared to leave, "and, don't worry, purrincess, your secret is safe with me!"

 _Don't worry, I'm actually planning to go to your party, Alya,_ thought Chat Noir,  _just not as a superhero._

As the feline superhero walked away, Alya called after him, “Great! So it’s an interview then!”

“Don’t normal people say ‘So it’s a date’?” teased Marinette.

Alya rolled her eyes, “Well, I already have a boyfriend. Plus, I’m sure interviewing Chat Noir will be just as interesting.”

“I’m just glad Chat didn’t decide to stay. It would’ve been awkward... no nevermind,” said Marinette as she walked back into the house with her best friend.

“Hmmm?” asked Alya, “Mari, I know you didn’t want me to expose you, but really, what harm can it do?”

Marinette looked around the house, and immediately saw that Nino had already returned, and was situated on the carpet, once again scrolling through his phone.

“I swear that boy spends more of his time on his phone than he does with me,” said Alya as she followed the bluenette’s gaze, “Honestly, Nino’s never flirted with me the way Chat just did to you.”

Marinette replied, “Haha, it probably was just the top I’m wearing that got him going.”

“Sure it was, _purrincess_ ,” said the young reporter as she blew on a strand of hair that had the wind had blown astray.

“Maybe you should go distract him,” said Marinette, as pay back for their previous encounter with Chat Noir, “while I go and look for Adrien.”

Alya, however, was not fazed by her bff’s suggestion and smirked, “Yes, go look for your handsome, model boy.”

Marinette left Alya and pulled out her phone to text Adrien. However, she remembered that she didn’t have her crush’s phone number, so she hollered back into the house, “Hey, Alya can you text me Adrien’s number?”

 **Alya** : Here (xxx) xxx-xxxx. Good luck ;)

Marinette immediately began to type out a new message to the number, being careful to include her name so that Adrien wouldn’t think it was from a fan who had somehow gotten a hold of his personal phone number. It took her a few attempts before Marinette was satisfied with the message that she had written out to Adrien.

 **Mari** : hey! This is Marinette! Alya gave me ur number, and i was wondering if you were going to come back to the party?

 **Adrien** : hey mari. Sorry i was caught talking to ladybug, i’ll be back in a minute

 _There_ , thought Adrien, _the purrfect excuse. Ladybug visits me sometimes so it’s definitely a fool proof story!_

 **Mari** : oh, um okay. See you :)

‘ _Talking to Ladybug’? What kind of lame excuse is that?_ thought Marinette _Why does it seem like Adrien is trying to hide something? Oh no! What if something bad happened to him? Should I go and look for him?_

With that thought in mind, Marinette began briskly walking away from Alya’s house. However, before she’d gotten very far, she saw a burst of green light in a small space between two buildings. Curious, the bluenette crept towards the mysterious, and brief glow. As she got closer, she heard some voices.

“Thanks, Plagg,” said a very familiar voice, “And sorry for making you hold the transformation longer today.”

“Hmphh, and what was it all for? Talking to a pretty girl! You didn’t have to text her in the suit either,” the other voice grumbled.

 _Wait, transformation? Suit? Co-could this be Chat Noir and his kwami?_  thought Marinette, as her mind began to slowly connect the dots.

She heard some rustling and then, “Well, would camembert make up for it?”

“Oh, Adrien! You know me so well! Yes _of course_ it’ll make up for you mistakes,” Plagg’s voice seemed to lose some of its bitterness.

“A-adrien?!” gasped Marinette.

Suddenly, everything was silent. The sounds of someone, or some kwami, noisily eating a piece of stinky camembert disappeared. As did the bantering between the two voices. Marinette realized that she had accidentally spoken out loud and slapped a hand over her mouth.

The bluenette didn’t dare to move a single muscle. _Oh no! Adrien’s_ Chat Noir _?! I’ve been rejecting the love of my life every single day for practically a year now? And he’s been_ flirting _with me every day too? And to top it off, Alya practically told Adrien that I had a crush on him! Ohmigosh, Adrien’s gonna hate me once he discovers that I’m the one that found out about his secret identity!_

“Is someone there?” asked Adrien, his voice sounded a little closer to Marinette now than it did earlier when he was talking to Plagg.


	5. The Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette is very bad hiding. And a healthy dose of emotional development.

Marinette frantically looked around and tried to locate a spot for her to hide in, but, before she could slip away, the young seamstress felt a hand on her arm.

“Marinette?” asked Adrien, partly relieved, but also partly anxious that one of his closest friends had found out his secret.

“U-uh, hi A-adrien,” stammered the bluenette as she began to gesture wildly with her hands, “I didn’t see you there. I was just, um you know, walking around, and uh, I saw something… Something. Yes! I saw a, uh, coin! On the ground! Very shiny, you know.”

Hearing this, the model chuckled awkwardly, “No, you don’t have to lie, Mari. I guess the cat’s out of the bag, huh?”

Marinette didn’t what to say, and just stared at him.

“You know,” Adrien continued, “It’s fine if you know. But, could you, you know, keep it a secret? I’m not exactly sure I want everyone to know that I run on top of buildings and dress up in a cat costume in my free time.”

“Anything for you- I mean, sure Adrien,” squeaked Marinette.

The two didn’t say anything for a while, and just stood there. They gazed at each other, and even though they were standing physically close together, their minds seemed to be millions of miles apart, both brimming with an abundance of thoughts.

 _She knows. She knows. She knows._ thought the boy _, She knows that I’m Chat Noir. Oh no, what if she gets akumatized and Hawkmoth uses her knowledge against me? I guess this is why Ladybug always refused to let us reveal our secret identities to each other. Oh, Ladybug... What will I do? On the one hand, I really like Ladybug, and she’s purrfect, but she never seems to return my affections... And, on the other hand, Marinette’s sweet, charming, and kind, and now that I know she likes me, maybe I can return her feelings? But, though they are both dear to me, I certainly can’t flirt with both of them, right?_

 _He knows. He knows. He knows._ thought the girl, _He knows that I like him. Does he hate me now? Our exchange earlier at Alya’s house must’ve been such a joke to him, with Alya telling_ the love of my life _about the crush I have on him. Besides, now that I know his true identity, would it still be fair to keep mine from him? He’s going to inevitably find out right? I mean, just look at the way I did. But, then again, it’s not like I_ meant _to find out his secret identity, right?_

Suddenly, a loud burp and the appearance of a cat like kwami snapped both adolescents from their trains of thought.

“Hey, Adrien, do you got anymore of that delectable cheese?” the little floating cat asked, “Hmmm, who’s this girl? And why do you have your hands on her? I thought it was considered rude in the human culture to randomly touch people.”

Adrien immediately let go of Marinette’s arm and said, “No, Plagg, I do not have any more camembert.”

“Oh, is this your kwami?” giggled Marinette, “He’s so cute!”

“Finally! Someone who appreciates me for my true worth! Were you the pretty girl that that kid there was talking to earlier,” said Plagg, evidently pleased.

Marinette blushed, “Oh, I don’t know about pretty, but yeah I was talking to Chat earlier. Sorry for making you hold your transformation for so long, it must’ve taken a toll on you.”

“She’s a keeper!” whispered Plagg to Adrien as he pointed at Marinette without any subtlety what so ever.

Adrien rolled his eyes, and Marinette asked, “So, uhm, could you maybe forget the conversation we had with Alya earlier? You know, the one where she exposed me and told you everything?”

“Haha! Sorry, Marinette, but that’s not going to be very likely,” laughed Adrien, or, Chat Noir rather, “It’s not everyday I get confessed to by a _pretty girl._ ”

Marinette’s eyes widened, she’d always thought that Adrien was the polite type and never once in her life would’ve believed it if someone told her that he’d flirt so casually with her. _Plus he keeps drilling it into my head that I’m ‘jUSt A fRiENd’,_ Marinette’s subconsciousness added unnecessarily.

However, instead of stuttering something barely intelligible back to Adrien, Marinette surprised herself by flirting right back, “Pretty, hmmm? Well you’re not so bad looking yourself, hot stuff.”

Immediately realising what she said, Marinette gasped and slowly moved her hand to cover her mouth, “I-i mean-”

She looked up at the model and saw that he was blushing so hard that his even his neck had turned into a muted shade of pink.

“Um, thanks?” said Adrien.

“UGH!” Plagg suddenly shouted, “You guys are SO hopeless! Can we _please_ get out of this cold and dank place?”

“Uhm! Yes! Alya and Nino are probably waiting for us,” said Marinette immediately, “We should really be heading back.”

“Ye-yeah,” replied Adrien, a little dejected.

Plagg flew into Adrien’s shirt pocket and the two friends walked back to Alya’s house in an awkward silence.

 _Wait, why am I feeling so miserable right now?_ thought Adrien _. Did I want something to happen with Marinette? Or am I just happy that we actually had a real conversation? Well, I’m still in love with Ladybug, so I think it’s safe to say that it’s probably the latter of the two._

After a few moments, Adrien and Marinette had arrived at Alya’s house. Marinette extended a hand to knock on the door, but before she could, Alya opened the door.

“Hey, lovebirds. Have fun without us out there?” asked Alya.

 _Hmmm_ , thought Marinette, _maybe it’s not the best idea to tell Alya about Adrien being Chat Noir. Afterall, I did promise to keep it a secret, and if that means even from Alya, then so be it._

“Al-alya!” yelled the bluenette, “You’re making it sound like we did something weird! All I did was find Adrien and bring him back, and nothing more. I swear!”

Alya put her hands on her hips, “Mhmmm. Girl, you know I can see right through you. Plus, you’re faces are both red and something tells me that it’s not from running.”

 _Quick! I have to make something believable up right now,_ thought Adrien, _knowing Alya, it'll take her no time at all to find out my secret._

Before Marinette could answer her best friend, Adrien cut in and said, “Well, the thing is, Marinette caught me taking a photo of Ladybug and I thought it was super embarrassing...”

“Omg! I knew you were a dedicated Ladybug fan!” said Alya, as she nudged the model’s arm, “but I didn’t know that you were the type to go to such lengths for your idol!”

“Yeah, I guess I am,” replied Adrien.

“Hey, dudes! You’re back! Let’s keep playing truth or dare, shall we?” exclaimed Nino, when he noticed that his best buds had come back.

Marinette, relieved to escape Alya’s close scrutiny, nodded and walked towards the carpet and reclaimed the spot that she’d sat on before the akuma attack. Alya followed her, and soon, Marinette saw that she was once again, sitting shoulder to shoulder with Adrien Agreste.

Once they’d all sat down, Marinette asked, “Whose turn was it again?”

“Why, I believe it was your turn, Mari,” replied Adrien, “Why don’t you give that bottle another spin?”


	6. The Game Resumes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More of truth or dare and Adriens merch collection is mentioned.

Marinette nodded, took the bottle from Alya’s hand and gave it a whirl.

The four friends all stared intensely at the bottle, and after what seemed to Marinette like forever, the glass finally stopped right between Adrien and Nino.

“So, which one of you wants to have a turn?” asked Marinette.

“Hmmm,” replied Nino, musing over this turn of events, “Why don’t you go, dude? I mean, it’s only fair, since I’ve already went once...And don’t even get me started on how that turned out..”

“Heheh,” laughed Adrien, remembering what he had dared his best friend.

_Well, I don’t usually do things like that, that’s true,_ thought Adrien, _but they kind of pushed it when they called me a_ cinnamon roll. _Like COME ON, am I really that innocent? It’s too bad they don’t know that I’m Chat Noir, though, or else, they’ll be calling me a sinnamon roll instead. Heheheh…_

Nino’s face turned a little red when he heard Adrien’s quiet laugh, “C’mon, dude, that’s not funny! You know what? Marinette, make sure to dare Mr. Agreste here something _really_ embarrassing, so that he’ll regret laughing at the humiliation and suffering he put me through!”

“But I would _never_ do something like that to _Adrien_!” yelled Marinette, “I-i mean not to anyone, actually.”

“Hmph,” smirked Adrien, “Don’t worry, that’s not going to happen, because I’m going to pick truth.”

“Hey!” Alya cried out, “Now, that’s kind of insulting, are you saying you didn’t enjoy the kiss?”

“N-no, I-i meant the ph-photo was embarrassing,” replied Nino, suddenly reduced to a stuttering mess.

“Truth, you say?” asked Alya as she beckoned her best friend over, “Hey, Marinette, come here, I have the perfect thing for you to ask.”

Marinette gave Alya a questioning look, _is this part of her plan to ‘get me a boyfriend’?_

However, without giving it another thought, the bluenette scooted closer to Alya.

Alya immediately brought her hand to Marinette’s ear, but before she could start whispering, they were interrupted by a frustrated looking model, “Hey! Isn’t this considered cheating? I mean even _I,_ the alleged cinnamon roll of the group, didn’t have to have help to come up with my brilliant dare!”

“Dude, you’re just scared of what my girlfriend can come up with,” replied Nino smuggly.

“It’s alright,” said Marinette as she scooted back to her original spot, “You don’t have to help me, Alya. In fact, I just thought of the perfect question to ask!”

_This is the perfect time to ask him about his extensive collection of Ladybug merch in his room,_ thought Marinette, _and hopefully Nino’s desire to see his best friend get embarrassed will be appeased._

Adrien gulped, _oh no, is she going to ask me something about my secret identity? Will she really make me expose myself in front of Alya and Nino? I mean, it’s not that I don’t trust them... It’s okay, I can lie, just take a deep breath and start acting like Lila_.

“Adrien,” said Marinette, taking a deep breath and pausing dramatically, “Tell me the truth, do you like Ladybug, and if so, do you have any Ladybug merch?”

_Thank the hEaVEns she didn’t ask about anything about me being Chat Noir. But, why did she have to ask about this?!_ thought Adrien.

Nino perked up, “Woah, how did you know about Adrien’s-”

“Shut up, shut up, shut up, Nino,” Adrien said loudly, effectively drowning out whatever his friend was saying, “This is my question to answer, dude, remember?”

Alya and Marinette chuckled, and the latter of the two said, “So, that sounds like a yes, Adrien?”

“Uh-uhm, yeah, I guess,” the blond blushed and said quickly, “And I _guess_ you _could_ say that I _may_ have everysingleofficialLadybugposterandcomicandclothingandaccessory there is...”

_Yes I do_ , thought Adrien, _but how does Marinette know about that? As far as I know, she’s never been in my room before. Unless... Nino told her? But, he’s not the type of person to do that, plus, how would that subject even come up in a conversation? This just doesn’t sit right with me... This and the fact that Marinette, of all people, knew what a kwami was? What’s going on?_

“Oh you do, Agreste?” asked Alya, “Did you happen to know that our dear friend Marinette here also happens to be a fan of Chat Noir? Did you guys know I also happened to see them walking together after the akuma attack today? Seems like you guys are close, Mari.”

“Ye-yeah, hahah…” the bluenette laughed nervously.

_I see what Alya is trying to do here_ , thought Marinette, _she’s trying to make Adrien and I bond over the fact that we both appreciate Paris’ superheros. But, what she doesn’t know is that the cat that she mentioned is sitting here, right in front of her._

“Judging from the way you sport his merch,” winked Adrien, “you think he’s the purrfect guy, don’t you?”

“In your dreams, there’s someone else I like,” replied Marinette, cheekily.

Adrien thought, _well I happen to be this other guy, too._

Alya couldn’t believe the scene that was unfolding before her very own eyes, Adrien was _flirting_ with Marinette, and Mari was flirting back! _When did this develop?_ she thought, _no matter, this means the plan is working! Mari is flirting with Adrien all on her own! My daughter is all grown up!_

“Anyways,” said Adrien as he reached for the bottle, “I believe it’s my turn.”

“Wait, do we really need to spin? It seems that one of us has not had a turn yet, Adrien,” Marinette put a hand on Adrien’s to stop him from spinning the bottle.

Adrien paused and a devilish smirk appeared on his face, “Alya, truth - or - dare?”

Surprisingly, Alya did not complain and simply said, “Truth.”

“Ah! I’ve got it, but this one is more of a would you rather,” said Adrien, “Which would you rather live without Nino or the Ladyblog?”

“Com-come on, Agreste! That’s just not fair! There’s no way I could compare them. That’s the same thing as comparing my work and personal life!” countered Alya, not willing to answer.

_Heheh, it’s not fun to just let those two make fun of us_ , thought Marinette, _I think it’s time to spice things up a little bit._

“Omg! Are you saying that you’d rather put the Ladyblog before _Nino_?!” Marinette faked a dramatic gasp.

Alya stammered, “We-well, I didn’t exactly say, nor mean that!”

“Hmmm, it seems to me, that if you did like Nino more, you’d have no trouble telling us that,” responded Marinette.

“Guys, guys,” said Nino, “Let’s not put Alya in such a tight spot. Like, I mean, I’d understand if she puts her blog before me because it’s basically the most important source of Ladybug news in Paris.”

Alya looked relieved, “I hope that answers your question, Adrien. Now, it’s my turn.”


	7. The Patrol

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some hurt but they're good lil beans n forgive each other. Also lots of wiggling eyebrows. ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for making this chapter so long, I had a lot of plot to fit in here.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy ~~

Alya spun the bottle, and the game continued for a long time until Nino yawned.

“I guess it’s getting late, we should save this game for another day,” said Alya, “Say, do you guys want to stay and sleepover tonight? I mean, my parents aren’t here, which is a plus, but if they were, they’d totally be cool with it.”

Nino tried to stifle another yawn, “Yeah, that sounds great, babe. Although, do you think Adrien’s uptight old man would be fine with it?”

“Well, it doesn’t hurt to ask, does it?” said Marinette.

 _Ugh, father is probably going to give me a stupid lecture on how it’s ‘bad for my image’ if I do this,_ thought Adrien, _but how can I not ask when Marinette’s asking me so cutely?_

“Yeah, I guess it couldn’t hurt,” replied Adrien as the model got his phone out from his back pocket.

Adrien dialed his father’s number, but after ringing for a few seconds, the call went to his voicemail. _Well, it’s not like I was expecting him to_ actually _pick up my calls for once_ , thought Adrien. He dialed Nathalie’s number, and his father’s assistant immediately picked up.

“Hello, Adrien,” said Nathalie, “I was just about to call you. Your father received a call from a famous fashion designer in London, and needs to be at a fashion show there tomorrow evening. I am accompanying him on this trip, and he has requested that you stay with one of your friends tonight, preferably Nino.”

“Oh,” said Adrien, “That’s good because I’m already at his house.”

“Now, why did you need to call me, Adrien?” asked Gabriel’s trusted assistant.

“Umm,” Adrien lied, “I just wanted to ask for a ride back home, but I guess I don’t need to anymore because I’m going to stay over at Nino’s tonight. Thanks, and bye!”

Adrien disconnected from the call and sighed at his friends, “Well, that went better than I expected.”

Nino and Marinette also called their parents, and unsurprisingly, both were allowed to stay without much debate.

“Dude, why did you say that you’re at my house?” chuckled the DJ.

Adrien replied, “My father and Nathalie are both out of town at the moment, and he seems to think that you’re the only trustworthy friend I have - No offense, Mari and Alya - So, of course I had to lie to him! Besides, imagine how furious he would be if he learned that I stayed over at a girl’s house!”

“I’m not offended,” Marinette replied quickly.

 _I mean, I know Adrien’s dad isn’t the nicest person ever, but he does happen to be the great fashion designer Gabriel Agreste!_ thought Marinette, _he’d have to be someone absolutely vile, like Hawkmoth or something, for me to be offended._

“Nino,” said Alya, “You can come sleep in my room, and Marinette and Adrien can have the living room. Don’t worry, I can go get some spare blankets and such for you guys.”

Nino blushed at the thought of sleeping in the same room as Alya. Shockingly, Marinette did not, when she heard that she’d be sleeping next to her long time crush.

The four each took turns in the bathroom and got ready to sleep. However, before Marinette had settled in the pile of fluffy blankets and pillows that Alya had left her, she remembered that she had forgotten to go on patrol today! The bluenette quietly peeped at the blond next to her and saw that he had wrapped a blanket around his head and was silently scrolling through his phone.

 _I think I might be able to transform in the bathroom_ , thought Marinette, _I’m pretty sure there’s a window in there that I can quietly leave through._

Without a word, Marinette slipped from her bundle of blankets and tiptoed into the bathroom.

“Tikki!” whispered the bluenette.

A little red kwami appeared from out of nowhere and said, “Marinette! I can’t believe you almost forgot about patrol today!”

“Me? Never!” said Marinette, but then, she suddenly remembered something, “Hey, didn’t you find out that Adrien was Chat Noir when Mr. Damocles got akumatized into the Dark Owl? Why didn’t you tell me it was him?”

“Well, we kwamis are sworn into secrecy to never disclose the identity of another miraculous holder,” responded Tikki, “Plus, you kept nagging me to not tell you, so I guess I just listened to you and never did?”

“Fair point, I guess it’s time for patrol, Adrien will probably join me in a few minutes or so,” said Marinette before she shouted, “Tikki! Spots On!”

The little kwami was sucked into Marinette’s earrings as she transformed into Ladybug.

However, the bluenette was mistaken, Adrien had not chosen to join her in a few minutes. Distracted by the voices in the bathroom and the sudden glow of red light, the blond had tiptoed closer to the scene and peeped into the crack in the door his friend had accidentally left.

 _OH MY GOD what am I doing? Am I really peeping on Marinette in the bathroom? Have I no shame? Is this what years and years of fancy and boring etiquette classes has taught me?_ thought Adrien, _No matter, there seems to be voices in the bathroom. I’m only going to look for a second to make sure Marinette is okay, and then I’ll spend the rest of my life repenting for my sins. I mean I did hear two voices in there, and I’m pretty sure that Marinette is the only one that’s in the bathroom. Yes, I’m doing this for her safety_.

When Adrien had finally focused back to the scene, he saw a familiar figure clad in red spotted spandex and a mask.

“La-ladybug?” he choked out.

Adrien pushed the door a little wider and asked the superhero, “W-what are y-you doing here? I thought Marinette was in here?”

Ladybug didn’t say anything, held her breath, and prayed that Adrien wouldn’t be smart enough to connect the dots. _Who am I kidding,_ she thought, _the boy’s practically a genius, being the top of our class and all. He’s going to figure my secret out in no time._

“Wait,” the blond interrupted Ladybug’s thoughts, “Are _you_ Marinette?”

Ladybug gulped and slowly nodded.

Adrien’s brain couldn’t handle this information, _wait so Ladybug, who was Marinette, knew that I was Chat Noir but didn’t even bother telling me her identity?_

The blond felt somewhat betrayed, “So, what? If I hadn’t accidentally found out, were you just going to live a double life as Marinette and Ladybug? Were you not going to tell me that the girl who I’ve been recently realizing that I have feelings for it actually the one that I’ve been in love with for more than a year? Don’t you think it would’ve been nice to realize sooner that _the love of my life_ has been wearing a Me-themed shirt today?”

“We-well, you see,” said Ladybug slowly, “I thought that it would put you at risk if you knew my secret identity. I mean, just think of how Kim controlled you when he had been akumatized into the DarkCupid! If you had known my secret identity then, we would’ve never defeated him. In fact, Hawkmoth would probably already have our miraculouses by now. Besides, it wasn’t as if I _meant_ to find out about your secret identity either!”

Adrien considered this _, I mean, these are basically the same thoughts I had when Marinette found out that I’m Chat Noir. But, back then, I wanted to protect her because I thought she was just a civilian... Although I do see her point about DarkCupid, it doesn’t matter anymore. We already know each other’s secret identities, and I guess it’s just best for us to not fight about it, and use it to our advantage to become a better team... or couple..._

“Hmmm, I suppose,” replied Adrien, “But, there’s just one thing that I don’t get...”

Ladybug looked at him questioningly, “And what’s that, Adrien?”

“Well, I just never thought that _Ladybug_ would have pictures of me _all over_ her bedroom walls,” replied the young model smugly, “Is it purrhaps because M’lady finds me irresistible?”

“U-uhm, well, I mean, _the cat’s out of the bag_ now, right? Alya’s already told Chat, I mean you, that I like you, so there’s no point in hiding it,” Ladybug blushed.

Adrien’s heart soared, “Ohmigosh, you just made a cat pun!”

“Yeah, and what about it?” asked Ladybug, wiggling her eyebrows, “Enough about my Adrien pictures, Adrien. How on earth do you possibly have every _single_ Ladybug merch item?”

“Hey! That was a low blow!” the love-struck blonde pretended to complain.

Ladybug dramatically gasped, “Are you _ashamed_ of being my number one fan, Kitty?”

“Shhh!” laughed Adrien, “Alya might hear you! She’s going to be furious if she finds out some rich model kid dethroned her as queen of the Ladybug fandom!”

“But, you’re not just a ‘rich model kid’, Adrien,” replied Ladybug, “And you still haven’t answered my question yet.”

“I thought I just did? Toiling away at endless photoshoots as ‘rich model kid’ sometimes has its perks you know? Including getting a cut of the money to feed my Ladybug obsession...” winked Adrien.

“Ok then, Chat,” giggled Ladybug, “It’s nice to know you kind of have a thing for me.”

“I meant what I said earlier, Mari,” said Adrien, suddenly a little more serious, “I don’t just ‘kind of have a thing’ for you. I love you, both of you.”

“Oh? Is this why you kept breaking my heart by calling me just a friend?” asked Ladybug, “Did you even like my civilian self before you found out that I was Ladybug?”

“Well, I admit I was sort of insensitive, but I really was starting to like you!” exclaimed the model, “Coming to Alya’s party made me realize that I care for you as more than just a friend, Mari.”

 _Dang_ , thought Ladybug, _Alya’s good, but after all, she did promise me a boyfriend by today, and that girl never goes back on promises_.

“I like you, too, Chat, both sides of you,” replied Ladybug, “but we really _do_ have to get on with patrol sometime today, you know.”

“Yeah, I guess, Bugaboo,” replied Adrien, as he opened his shirt pocket, “Plagg!”

Suddenly, a little black cat appeared from Adrien’s shirt pocket, “So, finally figured out who Ladybug is huh, kid?”

“Yeah, no thanks to you,” retorted Adrien.

“Well you shouldn’t blame him, Adrien,” said Ladybug, “It’s not like it was his fault. Tikki told me that kwamis are apparently sworn into secrecy and aren’t allowed to reveal others’ secret identities.”

“Boy, I’ve missed that little red bug...” Plagg trailed off, “But, you should listen to your girlfriend, kid. Honestly, I should’ve just told you that from the beginning. That would’ve saved me a lot of whining from you.”

“Gir-girlfriend?” the two lovebirds stammered.

“For the love of cheese, you guys are so dense! Just transform already and end my agony!” said the frustrated kwami.

“Alright then,” said Adrien, “Plagg! Claws Out!”

Ladybug couldn’t stop herself from staring as Adrien transformed and his civilian clothes were replaced by Chat Noir’s usual attire.

After the transformation, Chat said cockily, “Are you falling for me even more, M’lady?”

“Maybe, I am, what are you going to do about it, Chaton?” answered Ladybug, as she opened the window and threw her yoyo out into the Paris night, “C’mon, we really have to get a move on with patrol.”

Chat followed his lady as the two of them ran on the tops of buildings, eyes and ears alert for any akuma or crime. After a while, the two stopped on their favorite spot, the top of the Eiffel Tower. Ladybug leaned over the railing and asked, “Chat, since we know that we both like each other, do you want to...?”

Chat stopped breathing.

 _Is my lady asking me out right now?_ he thought, _has my prayers finally been answered?_

“Be your boyfriend and eventually marry you and become the proud father of three beautiful hamsters? Yes!” exclaimed Chat Noir.

“Uhm,” Ladybug said slowly, “I was just going to say the first part, but hamsters do sound nice...”

“I always knew you were going to fall for my devilish charm on day, M’lady!” grinned Chat, “But I have a question of my own. Are you fine with telling everyone about our relationship, or do you want to keep it a secret?”

“Of course I want to tell everyone!” exclaimed Ladybug, “It’s not like I’m ashamed of you or anything!”

“It’s reassuring to hear that you’re not ashamed of dating Paris’ hottest model,” smirked Chat.

“Yeah, yeah,” snorted Ladybug, “It’s high time we head back to Alya’s place, don’t you think?”

Chat Noir nodded and the two superheros raced back to the alley near Alya’s house, where Marinette had previously discovered Chat Noir’s secret identity. They both deactivated their miraculouses and fed their kwamis before walking arm in arm to Alya’s house. When they’d reached the bathroom window, Adrien peeked in to make sure it was empty, opened the window and with a flourish, said, “Ladies first.”

Marinette gracefully jumped into the house through and window, and Adrien soon followed suit. The two tiptoed out of the bathroom and into the living room. They climbed back under their blankets and slept peacefully well into the afternoon.


End file.
